Santa Fe Learn, Earn, Achieve Program (SF LEAP)
Santa Fe LEAP is a guaranteed income pilot administered by the City of Santa Fe in partnership with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), the Santa Fe Community Foundation, and UpTogether. Launched in October 2021 with a $500,000 grant from MGI (underwritten by Jack Dorsey/the Economic Security Project), it gives low-income, young parents enrolled at SFCC $400 a month, no strings attached, to help them stay in school. The University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) designed and evaluated the original cohort. The City has since funded additional annual cohorts, including with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, continuing the program through at least the 2025-2026 school year.
Guaranteed Income, Community College Students, Young Parents, Higher Education, New Mexico, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Santa Fe
- City
- Santa Fe
- State / Province
- New Mexico
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://santafeleap.org/
- info@santafeleap.org
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 100
- Funding type
- Philanthropic, Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 4,800 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 400 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Benefit details
Selected participants receive $400 per month for 12 months (about $4,800 total per participant per cohort), disbursed with no restrictions on use through implementation partner UpTogether. The founding cohort of 100 SFCC parents received payments from October 2021 through September 2022. The City has funded subsequent annual cohorts (up to 100 students each) on the same $400/month, 12-month structure, most recently for the 2025-2026 school year.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, the primary caregiver of a child under 18, live in the City of Santa Fe, and be enrolled in a certificate, GED, apprenticeship, or degree program at Santa Fe Community College (or have taken at least one SFCC class, per the original cohort's rules). Income limits have shifted across cohorts: the original 2021 round required household income under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $34,000 for a family of two/$52,000 for a family of four); a 2022-2023 round used 65% of Santa Fe's Area Median Income (about $44,000/$55,000); by 2025-2026 the threshold was 80% of Area Median Income (about $63,700/$79,600). Qualified applicants are chosen via random lottery, historically run by UPenn's CGIR or by program partner UpTogether.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Maximum age
- 30
- Education level
- High School, Associate
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $79,600
Geography
- US states covered
- New Mexico
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Santa Fe
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The founding cohort was designed and evaluated by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR), which surveyed participants and analyzed bank transaction data to study impacts on employment, housing, financial security, and educational outcomes. CGIR's report (released 2025) found increased full-time employment (+19 points), reduced unemployment (9% to 3%), improved housing for 76% of participants, and median household income rising from about $19,500 to $24,000.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications open annually (historically in August/early fall) via a password-protected online application on santafeleap.org, run through implementation partner UpTogether; SFCC notifies eligible students of the password. Paper applications are also available at the SFCC Welcome and Advising Center. The window stays open until filled (in earlier cycles, roughly one week).
- Selection process
Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria are entered into a random, anonymous lottery. This selection process has historically been conducted by an independent research team at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research or by implementation partner UpTogether, which approves up to 100 eligible applicants per cohort.
